food, nutrition, and health news

On Wednesday, the USDA unveiled a new digital tool, called Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. The website is a repository for data, videos, and stories of local and regional food systems, and is meant to spur public interest in and awareness of local food initiatives sponsored by the USDA. Check it out here. [Obama Foodorama]

A new exhibit on obesity at Walt Disney World was shut down after it was criticized for being “insensitive and [reinforcing] stereotypes that obese children are lazy and have poor eating habits.” The exhibit featured two superheroes, called Willie Power and Callie Stenics, who have to fight against villains such as Snacker and Lead Bottom – and, you guessed it, the villains are overweight and eat too much. While an exhibit on healthy lifestyles is a good idea given that nearly 30% of kids are overweight or obese, Disney needs to create an exhibit that doesn’t stigmatize being overweight and instead teaches kids how they can engage in physical activity and eating well. [CBS]

A judge dismissed a court case against seed behemoth, Monsanto. Organic farmers sought to protect themselves from being sued by Monsanto in the case that pollen from the company’s patented genetically modified plants ended up contaminating organic crops. Monsanto is infamous for its bully tactics and routinely threatens small farmers with patent suits. The judge dismissed the case because it was based on hypothetical suits and none of the farmers had claimed to be threatened by Monsanto. [NPR]